The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
FIG. 1 shows an architecture diagram of an Optical Access Network (OAN) in the prior art. The OAN includes a Customer Premises Network (CPN) 61, an Access Network (AN) 62 and a Service Node Function (SNF) 63. Primary Network Elements (NE) of the CPN and the AN in the OAN include an Adaptation Function (AF) 621, an Optical Network Unit (ONU)/Optical Network Terminal (ONT) 622, an Optical Distribution Node (ODN) 623, and an Optical Line Terminal (OLT) 624. T represents a reference point of a User Network Interface (UNI), and V represents a reference point of a Service Network Interface (SNI). The OLT 624 provides the ODN 623 with a network interface and connects to one or more ODNs 623. The ODN 623 provides transmission means for the OLT 624 and the ONU 622. The ONU 622 provides the OAN with a User side interface and connects with the ODN 623. A Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) connects to the AF 621 via an UNI, such as a Digital Subscriber Line. The AF 621 converts the packet format from the UNI format to (a) interface (such as an Ethernet Link) format via which the AF 621 may connect with the ONU 622; then the ONU 622 converts the packet format into a format via which the packet may be transmitted in the ODN 623, such as an Ethernet Passive Optical Network (EPON) encapsulation, and a generic group frame encapsulation of a Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON); and finally the OLT 624 converts the packet format into the SNI (such as an Ethernet Link) packet format, and then the SNF 63 may be accessed. In the Access Network, the AF primarily provides the mutual conversion between the ONU/ONT interface and the UNI; alternatively, the AF may be built into the ONU, thus the reference point (a) is not required. The AF may also be positioned behind the OLT to be used for the mutual conversion between the OLT interface and the SNI. In this way, the AF may act as a Function entity in CPN or a Function entity in AN.
FIG. 2 shows an architecture diagram of a DSL in the prior art, which includes a CPN 71, an AN 72, an Application Service Provider (ASP) 73 and a Network Service Provider (NSP) 74. In the figure, T is a reference point between a Terminal Equipment (TE) 711 and a DSL Modem 712 in the CPN; U is a reference point between the DSL Modem 712 and a Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM) 721. In the AN 72, an Aggregation Network exists between the DSLAM 721 and a Broadband Remote Access Server (BRAS) 722; V is an Ethernet Aggregation reference point between the DSLAM 721 and the BRAS 722 in the AN 72; A10 is a reference point between the AN 72 and Service Providers (SP), such as the ASP 73 and the NSP 74, via which the ASP may be connected to an NSP in possession of an AN, or an NSP may be connected to a visited AN in roaming situations. The CPN 71 may be connected with the AN 72 via DSL access technologies.
FIG. 3 shows an architecture diagram of a WiMAX network in the prior art, in which R1 is a reference point between a Mobile Station (MS) 81 and an Access Service Network (ASN) 82; R3 is a reference point between the ASN 82 and a Connection Service Network (CSN) 83; and T is a reference point between a Terminal Equipment (TE) 85 and the MS 81. The MS may be a pure Mobile Terminal, or a TE may be attached to a MS. The ASN 82 includes a Base Station (BS) and an Access Service Network Gateway (ASW GW).
Currently, it is desired that a Network Access Provider (NAP) opens and wholesales its Access Network to SPs. A problem rises that, the SP requires that different protocols may be supported and access nodes may be configured flexibly according to its own requirements, however, the existing access nodes is not designed for meeting the wholesale requirements, thus an AN may not be shared between multiple NSPs and may not be managed independently by an NSP.